


Eyes like Stars

by NubesAequum



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Half Robot Zack Fair, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21925468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NubesAequum/pseuds/NubesAequum
Summary: Zack was enjoying the moonlit night and remembering bits of his past.Cloud joins him.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	Eyes like Stars

**Author's Note:**

> The following One-Shot is unbetaed. I'm sorry in advance if you find some mistakes.

The air was fresh and it felt good to inhale it. It was mostly quiet. Only the sound from an ambulance or the horns of cars could be heard from far away. Nighttime was always the greatest for Zack. Especially when the full moon was shining down at him brightly, illuminating the place with a cold light.

Observing the night sky was something Zack didn’t know he could miss. He could remember some parts from the past where he stargazed, when the night sky was void from clouds, pollution and when the moon wasn’t there to outshine the stars.

One time he could remember seeing a clear night sky was in Nibelheim. The best place to watch stars and where legends were told about the different constellations. And he wasn’t alone. There was someone special with him. This someone was telling him about the legends, about the constellations of Odin, Shiva and more.

The ravenette also recalled that he was more in awe of this person then the stars. The enthusiasm was so endearing coming from his special someone, who even started talking about astrology and the legends of the planets far beyond their sight. Zack also remembered how his cerulean eyes were shining brighter and more beautiful than stars. A thought he didn’t want to keep for himself.

_“Aren’t they just beautiful, Zack? Which star do you like the most?”_

_“The ones I’m looking at.”_

_“Hm?” Looking towards Zack he saw that his violet-blue eyes were watching him, instead of the sky._

_“Silly, there are no stars where you look at.” Zack loved the light laugh leaving his special someone’s lips._

_“Yes, there are,” Zack uttered and stepped up to the other, taking his hands and squeezing them. Then his hands wandered slowly up the other’s arms, shoulders and neck and stopped at his cheeks, gently taking his head between his hands. _

_One wisp of blond hair was taken between Zack’s fingers and put behind the other’s ear. Zack took another step and touched the blonde’s forehead with his own, feeling the breathing of the other quicken and meeting his neck. With an intimate piercing gaze the ravenette looked in the other’s irises, whispering words only for the blonde’s ears only._

_“I look at them right now. Your eyes are the ones I like the most. They’re shining brighter and are more beautiful than all the stars I have ever seen in my life, Cloud.” A light shade of pink decorated Cloud’s cheeks with this revelation. Embarrassed he averted his eyes down towards Zack chest, too shy now to look him in the eyes._

_“That’s so cheesy, Zack.”_

_“I can’t help it. I just love you too much, Cloudy.”_

Zack was pulled back from his memory, when he felt a hand petting his head from behind. Turning around he glanced up from the stairs he was sitting on. Violet-blue eyes met cerulean ones and automatically a smile morphed on Zack’s face, which was returned with a small one from the possessor of the cerulean orbs.

“Hey,” Zack greeted with an endearing tone, petting the free place next to him. The other complied the silent request and sat himself next to the ravenette, placing the tablet with two cups he had in his other hand on the other side not occupied by Zack.

“Hey yourself.”

Fully exposed to the moon’s light the person could be seen more precisely. Blond hair, reminding Zack of Chocobos, were sticking out in a disarray of spikes. Pale, smooth skin with a few moles here and there were begging Zack to be touched. A face, in his memories with a bit of baby fat and now sharper because of growing up, with a straight nose and lips he loved to kiss.

Cloud.

A lovesick sigh left Zack’s mouth seeing his love sitting next to him. He just couldn’t get tired looking at the blonde, always felt like he fell in love once again and more and more.

Reaching for one cup Cloud handed it to the ravenette. “Here,” Cloud expressed, still with a loving smile on his face, “some hot chocolate. Thought you might want one. It’s a bit cold out here.” Zack thanked him with a peck on his cheek, making the other blush with this action.

“Thanks, Cloud. You actually didn’t have to worry about that. I… I don’t get cold easily anymore.” A somber tone sneaked into his voice to the end of the sentence. With sad eyes he peered down into the cup filled with the hot chocolate. Moving the mug to his mouth he tilted it up to take a sip from the warm beverage.

Another remembrance passed his mind. This time when he was a teenager sitting with Cloud in front of a fire place, each of them having a cup of the same hot chocolate in their hands like they do now. It tasted the same. Zack would never forget this particular taste, because it was special made by Cloud.

A hand touched his arm, caressing it before moving them towards his own hand, enveloping them in a familiar hold. It felt the same as before, yes, but the difference now was that Cloud wasn’t touching skin. Instead it was some metal imitated as some human limb. His limb to be specific. Bones and flesh replaced with metal and expensive high-tech.

“Zack…”

Cloud squeezed his hand and pushed himself closer onto Zack’s side, putting his head on the ravenette’s shoulder, which was also consisting of metal.

“You know, I’m happy to have you back. I thought I lost you forever back then,” the blond admitted glancing up at Zack from his position with so much longing in his eyes that Zack lovingly nudged his temple with his nose before leaving a kiss behind.

“I’m sorry,” Zack whispered, his voice wavering.

Cloud’s eyebrows were pinched in confusion. Zack didn’t need to apologize. It wasn’t his fault that he was caught by Shinra and used as a test subject. A successful test subject unfortunately. Manipulated and used as a weapon, a killing machine.

A SOLDIER.

A first class SOLDIER. The best of the best and property of Shinra only.

“It isn’t your fault. Please, Zack. If someone needs to apologize it’s me. It should have been me back then, if you didn’t rescue me-“

“No, Cloud,” Zack said and looked the other deeply in his eyes, gleaming with determination and no regret. “Don’t blame yourself for something I did with my own free will. You were and are too important to me, as if I could let anything happen to you. I would do this again, even if the price is to end as a monster. More machine than human.” This little speech touched Cloud so much that he couldn’t prevent himself kissing the other. Taking their mugs out of their hand beforehand.

Zack returned it with the same passion as the blond, tasting chocolate when he licked his way inside Cloud’s mouth. He pulled Cloud closer and then on his lap with his metal arms wrapped around the blonde’s thin waist. Cloud pressed on of his hands behind the taller ones neck, deepening the kiss more like he was starving for it. They then separated with little space as possible between them, before Cloud gave him another kiss.

Silence enveloped them. Only the people celebrating in 7th Heaven could be heard from the short distance behind them and their harsh breathing.

Another noise creeped it’s way into Zack’s advanced ear. A distinctive sound he knew as good as Cloud’s voice. His heartbeat, now with a quickened pace after the kiss they shared. He loved the beating rhythm of it and could listen to it the whole day. Even if he couldn’t remember it in his time at Shinra’s, he didn’t know that he actually missed it so much.

Putting his head on Cloud’s chest to listen to it closely he made a few confessions.

“There is only one thing I regret, Cloud.” Petting Zack’s spiky hair lovingly Cloud asked him, his curiosity now piqued but also afraid of the answer. “What do you regret?”

Taking a deep breath Zack explained, the hurt and regret evident in his voice, seeking some encouragement from the other in pulling him in a tighter hug.

“What I regret the most is that I lost so much of my memories. I still can’t recall everything I experienced in life. My whole family, my friends, all the time we spend together, where we went for holidays, our first kiss, first date, how I fell in love with you.” Zack swallowed hard before continuing. “Shinra made sure that I forgot everything. That I forgot how I feel and that I didn’t hesitate to accomplish any missions without any questions. That I kill without showing mercy.”

In the course of his tirade he didn’t realize that he started to embrace Could tighter and tighter. The blond couldn’t hinder himself showing his discomfort and let his pain out verbally. “Aahh… Ouch, Zack…”

With widened violet-blue eyes Zack immediately let go of Cloud and slowly pushed him off from his lap to his previous place next to him. Cursing at himself he looked if he did hurt Cloud badly. Not seeing anything he put some distance between them, pain and sadness fogging his irises.

“I apologize, Cloud. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Cloud's heart was aching hearing him so broken. His face also displaying what he felt inside. Reaching for the other he wanted to comfort him, though Zack didn’t allow him. Speaking out his mind Zack looked up the night sky. A few clouds could be seen now, some even covering parts of the moon.

“Huh,” he chuckled, void of amusement, “I’m a monster, like they said. Half machine, half human. More of a weapon now than myself. I should have stayed there. I just hurt other people around me. As a SOLDIER now I’m owned by Shinra and should have stayed there.”

“No!”

The sudden shout from his side brought Zack back from his stupor. Glancing to the side he saw Cloud glaring into the distance. Anger was gaining the upper hand, his hands clenched into fists and trembling in fury. A breeze passed them, brushing the blond hair away from his face and revealing the cerulean eyes blazing like fire.

“You don’t belong to them! You’re not their property, Zack. Shinra took you away from where you belong and tortured you, took you apart bit by bit and put you together with new parts. However, you are still Zack! The Zack who I grew up with. The Zack who was always kind to other people around him, who cheered up even people he didn’t know and just had a bad day. The Zack who was always there when his family and friends needed him. The Zack I fell in love with. You’re you, Zack. And you belong to yourself and no one else.” Cloud ended his rant with his eyes moving to Zack’s. No judgement could be found in them. He really meant what he said and he still had some things to say.

“I’m glad I joined AVALANCHE. Without them I wouldn’t have found you and I don’t regret taking you back with me, even if they first wanted to get rid of you. You remembered me, when you saw me the first time and you instantly protected me from the other SOLDIERs. You’re good, Zack. Deep inside you were always like that. Don’t let your time at Shinra taint this for you.”

Getting back closer to him he pulled him into a hug. Unshed tears were shining in Zack’s eyes, meeting his cerulean ones. A tear found it’s way down his cheek and was wiped away by Cloud’s cool fingers.

“I love you, Zack. And nothing will change that,” the blond whispered, closing his eyes and touching Zack’s forehead with his own.

“I love you, too, Spike.” Zack replied. Hearing the beloved nickname coming from the ravenette made Cloud open his eyes and peer up into the other’s handsome face. A bright smile was blooming on his gaze, his violet-blue orbs glistening with love and adoration for the other. Seeing him like that made Cloud want to cry himself in happiness. He missed him. So much.

“There is one thing you’re wrong though,” Zack spoke, making Cloud tilting his head questioningly. “What do you mean?”

“I do belong to someone,” he paused dramatically, his old self shining through slowly, “I belong to you, my love.” He watched as Cloud’s eyes started to glitter the same as it did in his memory. Like stars.

“Zaack… No, we belong to each other.”

And they kissed for the umpteenth time in their life.

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you had fun reading that.  
I actually wanted to make a full story with an Android AU and differently, but I have so many WIPs that I made a small One-Shot ^^
> 
> Comments as criticism and compliments are appreciated and welcome.
> 
> You can follow me on Twitter: @NubesAequum  
If you're interested :)


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